Relax, It's a Lit Roundup 2

At the risk of jinxing myself, I hope to start putting out this sort of roundup about once a week again. Here's the second installment. It's important to note that these are various lit-related items I've come across in the past week, not necessarily published in the past week.


1. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but I noticed this past week that Ploughshares is picking their favorite short story they read for the past week. This one I'm pleased to say is from the epic Smokelong Quarterly and is by Nicholas Olson - Read the story.


2. This one's a throwback to a journal I miss a great deal called >kill author. It's a beautiful thing that their archives are still up to read. This is a story from Issue Two. Enjoy Steven J. McDermott's "Big Dumb Animal" - Read the story.


3. It's probably no secret that I consider Chris Offutt to be the best writer from Kentucky working today. In fact, let's go ahead and say of all time. Best from Kentucky of all time. In any case, The Gaurdian recently published an article called "The Best Book We've Read All Year" that has various writers and readers pick the best books they read in 2015. Chris's first story collection Kentucky Straight was chosen, a book published all the way back in 1992. Way to go Chris! - Read the article.


4. A lot of insight in this talk with Ravi Mangla about flash fiction and more at Buffalo Almanac. He's one of the best at the form, hands down - Read the interview.


5. This interview at Smokelong with micro-boss Joseph Young. I just finished reading Young's Easter Rabbit, so that's one read down about twenty to go - Read the interview.


6. I've been clear the book I'm most looking forward to reading this year is Ryan W. Bradley's Nothing But the Dead and Dying. Second on that list? No hesitation, Mel Bosworth and Ryan Ridge's Camouflage Country. Here's an excerpt from that book over at Nerve - Read the excerpt.

7. Meg Tuite has a new collection of flash fiction out. It's called Lined Up Like Scars. Here's a press release about it, complete with a link to order. Congratulations, Meg! - Read about it.

8. Ig Publishing is starting an interesting series of book that will be edited by my former mentor Kirby Gann, who will also author one of the books. It's about books that inspired writers to become writers. Ig says they see it as similar to the 33 1/3 books on influential music - Read about it.